Justyna Wolinska
Research Group LeaderProgramme areas
Disease Evolutionary Ecology
Group profile
Disease Evolutionary Ecology Group, May 2026
Back row (left to right): Felix Mende, Zeno Mayr, Vanderville Villegas (Andy), Eva Pignoux
Middle row (left to right): Erika Martinez Ruiz, Zeynep Daldaban, Anaïs Marchal, Maysan Nashashibi
Front row (left to right): Mareike Brehm-Benedix, Benjamin Schupp, Kristel Sanchez, Le Liu, Justyna Wolinska
Not pictured: Gwendoline Acerbi, Juliana Hastamorir Torres, Juliana Höhne, Lucas Ernesto Dimde, Pia Gutta
We study evolutionary and ecological processes in aquatic ecosystems under global environmental change, with a particular focus on host–parasite interactions. We aim to understand how host–parasite coevolution interacts with ecological processes under stressors such as climate warming, urbanization, and anthropogenic pollutants (e.g., nanoplastics, pesticides, and other emerging contaminants). More broadly, we investigate how aquatic organisms adapt to environmental change and how these evolutionary responses influence population dynamics, species interactions, and ecosystem functioning. We focus on how global change shapes interactions among hosts, their microbiomes, parasites, and non-host species.
We combine field studies and laboratory experiments to address questions in evolutionary ecology using a range of aquatic model systems. Our field work includes pond and lake ecosystems spanning strong environmental and urbanization gradients, including systems affected by long-term climate warming, which allow us to study ecological and evolutionary responses under realistic environmental change. In parallel, we examine natural populations to link environmental conditions, disease dynamics, and adaptation to anthropogenic change. In the laboratory, we conduct experiments ranging from single-generation assays to long-term evolution experiments.
Our research focuses on plankton organisms occupying multiple trophic levels in aquatic food webs. We investigate interactions between zooplankton Daphnia and their parasites, as well as phytoplankton cyanobacteria and their parasitic chytrids. Beyond host–parasite interactions, we also study life-history evolution, thermal adaptation, urban evolution, and adaptation to environmental contaminants.
By combining field and laboratory approaches and linking phenotypic and genomic responses, we aim to predict how ecological interactions and evolutionary processes will shape aquatic ecosystems under future environmental scenarios.
Spores of Caullerya mesnili. | Image: Petr Jan Juracka
Spore clusters of Caullerya mesnili in the Daphnia gut; histological section. | Image: Wolinska Lab
Daphnia infected with yeast parasite, Metschnikowia sp. | Image: Wolinska Lab
Sporulating water mould - parasite of Daphnia. | Image: Wolinska Lab
Cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens infected by chytrid fungus Rhyzophydium megarrhizum. Spherical structures are chytrid sporangia. | Image: Ramsy Agha / IGB
Chytrid Rhyzophydium megarrhizum encysted on a filament of its host, the cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii. | Image: Ramsy Agha / IGB
Chytrid on Asterionella formosa. | Image: Melanie Gerphagnon
Daphnia everywhere; PhD defense of Johanna. | Photo: Wolinska Lab
Super Daphnia (project of Johanna & Manja). | Photo: Wolinska Lab
Daphnia galeata infected with a gut parasite Caullerya mesnili; spore clusters visible in the gut epithelium. | Image: Petr Jan Juracka
Publications 2016. | Image: Wolinska Lab
Group members
Alumni
Postdocs:
- Amruta Rajarajan (2023–2025) - Funded by DFG Research Project.
- Jürgen Strassert (2021–2024) - Funded by DFG Individual Research Grant.
- Ramsy Agha (2014–2021) – Funded by a Humboldt Research Fellowship and DFG Individual Research Grant.
- Kingsly Chuo Beng (2020–2021) – Funded by the International IGB Fellowship Program.
- Thijs Frenken (2018–2019) – Funded by the International IGB Fellowship Program.
- Yameng Lu (2017–2018) – Funded by DFG Research Project.
- Tatiana Semanova (2017) – Funded by the International IGB Fellowship Program.
- Melanie Gerphagnon (2016) – Funded by the International IGB Fellowship Program.
Doctoral Candidates:
- Florent Manzi (2018–2022) – Thesis available [here]. After PhD: Postdoc at Université catholique de Louvain.
- Manja Saebelfeld (2014-2017) Thesis available [here]. After PhD: postdoc at the Wageningen University, the Netherlands
- Enrique Gonzalez Tortuero (2013–2016) – Thesis available [here]. After PhD: Postdoc at University College Cork, Ireland.
- Johanna Griebel (2012–2016) – Thesis available [here]. After PhD: Data scientist in a private company in Munich, Germany.
- Jakub Rusek (2012–2015) – Thesis available [here]. After PhD: Coordinator at the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), Brussels, Belgium.
- Mingbo Yin (2009–2011) – Winner of the Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Students Abroad. Thesis available [here]. After PhD: Assistant Professor at Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
MSc Students:
- Sarah Lauck (2024)
- Fabian Flücken (2024)
- Nele Guttmann (2024) – Thesis resulted in the publication: Guttmann et al. 2024, Ecotoxicol Environ Saf.
- Kyla Sehner (2024) – Thesis contributed to the publication: Sanchez, Sehner et al. 2026, Hydrobiologia. After MSc: Technical assistant at IGB.
- Lukas Webb (2024) – Thesis resulted in the publication: Webb et al. 2024, Fresh Biol. and contributed to Funke, Webb et al. 2024, Fresh Biol. After MSc: Working at a biotechnology company.
- Pauline Thomé (2023) – Thesis resulted in the publications: Thomé et al. 2023, Biol Lett; Thomé et al. 2024, Mol Phyl Evol. After MSc: PhD at IGB.
- Paula Schlösser (2022) – Thesis contributed to the publication: Manzi, Schlösser et al. 2023, Phil Trans R Soc B. After MSc: Technical assistant at IGB.
- Antonia Adlers (2022)
- Marc Wagner (2020)
- Charlotte Schampera (2019) – Thesis resulted in the publication: Schampera et al. 2021, Environ Pollut. After MSc: Research assistant at IGB and PhD student at HU Berlin.
- Nesar Ghadernezhad (2019) – Thesis contributed to the publication: de Souza Machado, Ghadernezhad et al. 2023, Environ Sci Eur.
- Bruno Kenji Ortiz-Cañavate Ozeki (2018) – Thesis resulted in the publication: Ortiz-Cañavate et al. 2019, Chemosphere.
- Alina Gross (2016) – Thesis contributed to the publications: Agha, Gross et al. 2018, Parasitology; Agha, Gross et al. 2018, Front Microbiol. After MSc: Biology teacher.
- Amanda Navas Faria (2013) – Winner of the 7th LMU EES annual conference: best presentation of the MSc Project. Thesis contributed to the publication: Griebel, Navas Faria et al. 2015, PLoS one. After MSc: PhD student at Georg-August-University Göttingen.
- Gokce Ayan (2013) – Poster prize at the international SEFS conference in Münster, 2013. Thesis contributed to the following publication: Rusek, Ayan et al. 2015, J Plank Res. After MSc: PhD student at the Max Planck Institute, Kiel.
- Felicitas Buchberger (2013) – After MSc: PhD student at LMU Munich.
- Monika Poxleitner (2012) – Winner of the 6th EES annual conference: best presentation of the MSc Project. Thesis contributed to the following publication: Griebel, Poxleitner et al. 2015, PLoS one. After MSc: PhD student at LMU Munich.
- Stefanie Weigl (2011) – Thesis resulted in the publication: Weigl et al. 2012, Parasitology.
- Isara Arsiranant (2010) – After diploma: Working at the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center in Thailand.
- Olivia Hesse (2010) – Thesis resulted in the publication: Hesse et al. 2012, BMC Ecology. After diploma: PhD student at LMU Munich.
- Wolfgang Engelbrecht (2010) – After diploma: PhD student at LMU Munich.
- Jennifer Lohr (2009) – Thesis resulted in the publications: Lohr et al. 2010, Parasitology; Lohr et al. 2010, J Eukaryot Microbiol. After MSc: PhD student at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland
BSc Students:
- Lilith Biere (2026)
- Luka Manseck Cerazo (2024)
- Nele Guttmann (2021) – Thesis contributed to the publication: Li, Guttmann et al. 2024, PLoS Biology.
- Noemi Azoubib (2021) – Thesis contributed to the publication: Mavrianos, (…), Azoubib et al. 2023, Fresh Biol.
- Louise Seemann (2020) – Thesis contributed to the publication: Manzi, Seemann et al. 2021, Parasitology.
- Mellery Dundr (2019)
- Yari Ossenberg (2016)
- Christin Manthey (2015) – Thesis contributed to the publication: Agha, Manthey et al. 2016, Sci Rep. After BSc/MSc: PhD student at FU Berlin.
- Anna May (2013)
- Corinna Sachs (2012)
- Clarissa Mathieson (2012)
- Felicitas Buchberger (2011)
- Helena Macke (2011)
- Eva Kluzik (2010)
Exchange & Erasmus Students:
- Joe Money (Exchange PhD student, 2022) – Funded by the Polish National Science Center.
- Marcin Dziuba (Exchange PhD student, 2018 & 2020) – Funded by DAAD and the Polish National Science Center.
- Agata Owczarz (Erasmus student, 2021) – Project contributed to the publication: Manzi,…., Owczarz et al. 2023, Philos Trans R Soc B.
- Stylianos Mavrianos (Erasmus student, 2021) – Project resulted in the publication: Mavrianos et al. 2023, Fresh Biol.
- Dilara Ogretmen (Erasmus student, 2016–2017)
- Inbar Maayan (Erasmus student, 2014) – Project contributed to the publications: Gonzalez-Tortuero, Maayan et al. 2016, Zoology; Gonzalez-Tortuero, Maayan et al. 2016, Parasites & Vectors.
Publications
Lab news
Lab news
June 9, 2025
Congratulations and Welcome Dr. Le Lie
!!!!!
May 12, 2025
Farewell to Dr. Amruta Rajajaran!!!
Dr. Le Liu has been awarded a 2-year postdoc fellowship from DAAD-CSC to join our group! Le will work on the IMPACT project starting this Fall. Le will focus on how different concentrations of nanoplastic impact Daphnia communities and their disease dynamics.
We celebrated Amrutas time in the lab and accomplishments with some good food and a fancy Daphnia cake.
Carrier Opportunities & Alumni
Carrier Opportunities & Alumni
Postdoc fellowship
If you're interested in securing a grant to support a postdoctoral position in our lab, there are several opportunities available, such as the IGB Fellowship, DFG Fellowship, Benjamin Walter Fellowship, Humboldt Fellowship, Marie-Curie Fellowship, Rising Star Fellowship. We encourage you to reach out and discuss how we can collaborate on your application.
Master/Bachelor project
We are eager to welcome proactive students who wish to explore their own novel research questions under our guidance and develop projects in various research areas. Potential topics could include examining the effects of environmental stressors (such as climate change) on aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity research using modern DNA-sequencing methods, experimental evolution, and more. If you’re interested, please contact us to discuss your ideas.
What Do We Offer? We provide an inspiring atmosphere within an international research group (as of September 2024, our team consists of sixteen members from nine different nationalities). You will receive the appropriate level of guidance and supervision for your project, while also having the space to work independently. We offer a genuine research experience that will benefit your future career, whether within or outside academia. Many of our previous students have achieved significant success, with Master’s and Bachelor’s projects often leading to peer-reviewed publications. Check below to see what our former students have accomplished.
